Page 3 of Insatiable

I shake my head. I’d like to say I’m surprised, but I’m not. If there was any way the conniving cow could sneak her way through, Anthura would take it. Just behind her is Moloch. I’dnot seen him before because he has a habit of merging into the background.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a massive black wing—Dade's. That’s all I need to see, because I know exactly who else is here, and I’m not ready to face him. I lock my gaze on the new leader as he steps forward to speak, determined to keep my focus anywhere but there.

“Welcome to my world!” he booms, his voice filling the massive space almost as much as he does. “My name is Gorge, but I find that humans like to call me George.” He snickers as though this is a joke. “I think my real name hits a little too close to home and that makes some people uncomfortable.” He rubs his belly, adding a grease stain from the turkey leg to the mustard, and chortles again. “What can I say about myself? I love food, but that goes without saying.” He waves the turkey leg around for good measure and two of the three dog heads follow its motion, slobbering even more. You’ll all be used to the layout of the tower because it’s much the same as the other towers and if you don’t know your way round by now, I’m afraid I can’t help you.” He grins again and beside me I hear Juliette sigh.

“Hurry up and let’s get to breakfast,” she mutters under her breath. “My stomach is eating itself here.”

George doesn’t seem to hear her as he continues. "Most of you will know Hades, and beside him is his lover, Twila. Neither are involved with the games except to watch over what I am doing with the challenges. To my left is Anthura, who half of you will know from previous circles. And this beauty…” He rubs his hand over one of the dogs heads, “is Cerby, my baby.”

I don’t know what makes my stomach lurch more. The mention of the word baby, or the massive amount of drool dribbling to the floor from all three of the dog’s heads.

“As we have people from two towers coming together in this circle,” he continues, “I think we should all take it in turnand introduce ourselves. Anthura, since many of the people here don’t know you, why don’t you start? Let's 'dish' out some introductions!"

Anthura looks like she’d rather chew wasps.

She plasters on a fake smile. “I’m Anthura from Purgatory. I’m sure many of you are wondering why I’m still here in this circle, but it’s because I love the games so much. She holds her hands up to her heart and glances over at Hades. “Isn’t that right Hades?”

Hades gives her a slight nod. I have no idea why he would let her be here, but everyone who’s ever met her knows why she’s chosen to be here. Just like the rest of us, she wants out of Hell, but unlike everyone else here, she’s cheating her way through the circles under the guise of being in leadership.

“I hope we can all become friends over the coming weeks,” she lies.

It’s nothing like the first speech I heard from her in purgatory where she called us all idiots and hoped we’d all die horrible deaths in the games, if dying is what you do when you no longer exist in Hell. Maybe she’s softened up in the last few weeks, or maybe she’s had the hard word from Hades to behave herself. Probably the latter. Anthura is as soft as a diamond pickaxe.

“I’m Moloch,” Moloch says, barely peeking past Anthura. He looks depressed to be here and I can’t say I blame him. Maybe he was told he had to come because Anthura did. Who knows? “Nice to meet you all. I’m just a helper.” He says no more, so all eyes fall on Juliette who is perched on the very edge of the sofa.

“I’m Juliette!” she announces with a confident wave, the kind that comes naturally when you’ve become famous in Lust, with hundreds of fans clamoring for your autograph. “I’m thrilled to be here because, well, I just love food.” She glances at George and gives him a playful wink. “I’m like you in that way.”

He returns her grin warmly. As always, Juliette is completely in her element. Honestly, is there anywhere she isn’t? I have yet to see it.

“I’m excited to find out what our first challenge will be, but whatever it is, I know I’m up for it.” She turns to me and I know then that I’ll have to turn to face the people on the sofas.

My heart pounds as I try to keep my eyes on their feet instead of looking at them directly. But I’d know his shoes anywhere. Designer. Shined. I shift my eyes up to the people further along the sofa and try to concentrate on the new faces instead.

Next to Felix sits a striking woman, the kind who could easily pass for a supermodel. Her platinum blonde hair cascades in soft waves down her back, shimmering under the light. Her skin is porcelain, almost too flawless, and her high cheekbones give her an ethereal quality. She’s wearing a sleek, form-fitting gown that clings to her figure, just like the women I used to see on Felix’s arm in magazines—the kind who are everything I’m not. I hate how this complete stranger is making me feel uneasy in my own skin, like I’m somehow less just by being near her. No matter what I achieve, in life or death, I’ll never be someone who looks effortlessly perfect the way she does. And the worst part? She sits there with such confidence, like she knows it, too.

Felix, on the other hand, seems unbothered, his usual calm demeanor in place. He catches my eye, his expression unreadable. I look away quickly, fixing my eyes on the man on the other side of the new woman. He’s middle-aged, with a slight paunch and the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen. He stands out from the rest of the group—aside from Orlin, he’s the only one who doesn’t appear to be in his early twenties. There’s something refreshing about his presence, a warmth that feels oddly out of place in this room full of youthful perfection.

My eyes flutter to the next person, but before I can take them in, Juliette gives me a sharp dig in the ribs. “Say something!”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Rowena,” I muster. The last time we did this, I told the whole room I wanted to be a mother. Nausea creeps up my throat at how much I gave away of myself. This time I’m going to keep it short. “I’m just happy to have the chance to be in the games. That’s all really.”

I let out a long breath as Quinn begins telling everyone about herself. She’s much more forthcoming than I am, but then again, everyone knows she’s with Dade and she has nothing shameful to hide. Everyone from our tower knows I’m pregnant thanks to Noémi’s outburst as she was dragged from the last circle for sabotaging the games. The rest of the people here don’t know and no one except Quinn and Juliette knows who the father is... And Felix. He knows.

I’m so caught up in the horror of everything I barely register who speaks after Quinn and it’s only when I hear Felix speak that I come back to the present. My throat tightens as he introduces himself. He sounds so cocksure of himself as he lists his accomplishments in the living world, such as he was Times man of the year. None of that means anything down here. Death is the great equalizer. But not even Hell can equalize how unfairly attractive he is or the exact timbre of his voice that can both make me shake in fury and send me into a puddle of lust... and want to throw up as he’s doing now. I press my hand over my mouth, taking a deep breath in an attempt to push the nausea down. It doesn’t really help, and by the time I’ve managed to collect myself, the beautiful blonde has started speaking. My eyes drift to Felix as she introduces herself. He’s watching her, but to my surprise, his expression is one of bored indifference.

“Hi. I’m Tate,” she says with a confident smile that brightens her whole face, revealing two dimples in her cheeks. “I won my spot in the games from Lust. When I was alive, I worked in the oldest profession. I’m hoping to get back to Earth... I died waytoo young. One of my clients had a thing for strangulation, and, well, I guess he went too far.”

Her tone is disturbingly nonchalant, as if she’s simply reciting a fact of life. I shrivel my nose. I don’t want to hear about women being murdered. It cuts way too close to home. Next to her, the older man stands and gives everyone a brief nod. Beside me, Juliette stiffens.

“I’m Tomas,” he introduces himself, his voice carrying a faint Southern accent. “I hail from Florida, but I share the same origins as the alluring Tate - Lust. That’s what brought me to the Inferno Games - a search for something more, something elusive that I’ve finally found.”

He glances in our direction, causing Juliette to instinctively lean back and partially shield herself from his gaze. Then it’s on to the next person, but my mind drifts away from their introductions. I can’t bear to hear any more fabricated stories or half-truths. We’re not here to become friends; the Games will make sure of that.

My relief is palpable when Dade speaks up, signaling that he’s the last one and this charade can be over. As expected, Dade says very little beyond introducing himself. It’s only then that I realize Remy and Candice are no longer with us. They didn’t get through. I didn’t care for either of them, but it’s still a shock to see that they aren’t here. It’s a gutting reminder that any one of us could not get through to the next circle and be stuck in Hell forever.

My gaze shifts back to George, who’s watching us with a predatory grin, his eyes gleaming with a hunger that makes my skin crawl. There’s no doubt in my mind—if we fail here, we could very well end up on his dinner plate. Despite the jolly act he’s putting on, I can sense the dark undertones beneath his cheerful exterior. He probably has something twisted and horrifying planned for us.

“It’s going to be wonderful!” George announces, practically beaming with excitement. “I’ll let you all get settled in, and by this time next week, we’ll announce the first trial.”

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